Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-04-01
WAR on TIE RHINE.

" -s'' - ~ - -
A VETERANS VIEW OF TIE FRENCH
AND GERMAN ARMIES.
The Condition Existing in 1870 in
should Ho.tiIitie, Break Out-Hatred
Of bismarck.
The writer passed some time in the French
AMI Gcrnan camps On the eve of th" Franco
PrlISSiau war The popular feeling then was
a good Indication uf What was {" occur at the
first lTuvp'ation. Germany arose as one
man. II aruSe for All idea, ani France went
u far personal enthusiasm for romantic
figure could carry II and broke down when
che imperial puppet was removed There Is
an interesting field for study III the two
nations TO-DAY rs they stand logically pltted
against each other by reason of clashlng ira
ditions and opposing principles Of govern
ment. There seems 10 ha. however, com
plete reversal of circumstances; and much
that favored Germany in $50 is not with
Germany TODAY. hut l. with France: and
much that weakened France under the second
empire Is not with Franc. to-day, but Is with
the rival empire across the Rhine.
Prussia mas Ie"om. the empire and tue Old
opposition crv Of lSG against bismarck
one man Irower,-ha> come I" full reallza-
ton The states have had union. national
sentiment and a national policy, ami what do
they think Of them Tn. discomfort of the
people has not SuhSidcl. poverty has in
increased. emigration has gone "n at "A won
derful rate. The people turned away from
loyalty tn princes and nobility, the old tie
that hound land and people and government.
and their golden traditions are gone Great
estates have absorbed the land and the young
have no home feeling and no incentive I"
love the native soil. There arr many iudica-
tions upon the surface % show n state ot
things far different {" that of $50 Expert
enc. has taught them that they have eN-
changed such liberties a. their lazy and
frivolous kinglcts allowed them for Il mental
service, t. a mighty AMI all aisnrhing power
that griuds GA remorSel,-sly, a power only
great in itself and reducing all outside to a
lit,leneSs more i-ggarly than ,rfore.
The Germans have stood for independence.
progress in thought and the amelioratl"n
of man But it is not many Years since
Bismarck sounded warning note Of
another kind. II vas not aimed at 4
foreign foe. hut an Internal one. namely:
sensualism. He said that dissipation was
sapping the manlneSs Of the nation. All
of that mighty force Of human energy called
up by the political agitatious ot Bismarck
early davs turned from the noble channels Of
lofty endeavor (" petty indulgenc" and has.
gratific atoms. The hsar and music gardens
conquered the all cnnquering Germans and
their warmeSt friends have mourned over it.
In another direction the energies of that
powerful people Were turnsi into fields Of
scientific discovery AMI NirchOw and BuCh-
ner, not - mention Darwin and other out
siders lei the excited minds into all the daz-
zlng mysteries Of organic creation ami de
velopment and the destructive school Of Bible
critics at Stuttgart, with Bauer al the head
paved the way for widespread uateriali>m
that has borne fruit in this age.
But in France all is national, all is fixed
upon one idea, ultimately. and that idea de
stroys the possibility Of any alagming spirit
Of neutrality or indifference. LegitimSt,
imperiali>t republican or socialist, believe in
France, and once France is exalted the fac
tions can settle somehow which shall rule
This national ambition is not one Of conquest,
but looks only to the Rhenish border. to AL
SAGE and the old provinces where Germany
stands in the way. The name Of German
brings up a spectre hat all fr-nchmen 10y
ally hate.
Now the man Of France who nurses this
hatred OF Germany is the citizen, the free and
independent bourgeois. He is in the army and
he stands today in the same relation to the
struggle for nationality that his German
counter part did in 1879 toward the unitica
tion of Germany. The regular army Of Ger
many is body Of con>cripts, and made up of
peasants who cannot erade the rigorous
draft. This peasant cnnscript lives IN the
barrack and has all the traditions Of imperial
service 10 hold him to his work. He was
menial out Of the army, and his pckei hsuht,
and bre,schlnader makes him a man of cons.~
queucs. Beyond what this boorh'h ell
thuSiasm for a strong crown amounts 20,
Bismarck cannot hope for popular suppN-:
outside 0f Prussia. The burcher or cities
element i'll the standing army Il independent.
Ii is voluntary in n sense, il self sustaining,
lives outside the barracks. and hooks upon the
service aS an evil and n burden to I've av oided.
When this element comes to h- summoned III
the iandwehr for field duty, the crown must
show good reason for its action or the j and
wehr will not stand to its work The brInt
Of battle III "A new conflict with Francs wall
doubtless fall upon the ignorant peasa,ntry Of
Germany. who can I've held 10 their posts and
will have a sort Of brute enthusiasm, good ~
long as kept in motion. But Bismarck never
vet won u fight with sIlch material In 1876
the Prussian schonlmaster whipped the Aus
TRAN boor at Sadowa. That WAS the boast
of the time. In 1870 the schoolmaster and
his enthusiastic young ally from the burgher
class struck together for the unification of
Germany at Sedan. Both then made way
under the empire for Il huge standing army Of
the most iliterata orders who could not
escape by emigration. or get exemption
through privileges open l" the hnrgher class,
and 81 the man III pirkei-hC.Ihe to-day Is
peasant. His French antagonist will be a
citizen Whose heart is i'll his work, and Whose
nation is his Goi-tieorge l.. kilLier in New
York Mail and Express.